A software solution may be an on-premise solution or an on-demand solution. On-premise solution is a model of software deployment that involves an enterprise to purchase hardware such as servers, to invest capital into software licenses, and to invest into dedicated staff for maintenance and support. On-premise solution is the traditional model of software deployment where enterprises deploy applications in-house, e.g., on the premises of the enterprise. The on-demand solution or software as a service (SaaS) or cloud computing is a software unit in which software and associated data pertaining to a business application are centrally stored on a remote facility such as a cloud. The cloud storage is a model of networked online storage where data is stored on multiple virtual servers.
However, there are advantages and disadvantages with both cloud and on-premise platforms. Issues related to security and compliance of the on-demand solutions may be a disadvantage. On the other hand, for on-premise solutions, the cost may be a disadvantage. Therefore, organizations choose different business applications to be implemented and executed in different software solutions or a part of a business application in one software solution and other part of the business application to be executed in other software solution based on requirement of the business application, the pros and cons of the software solutions and sensitivity of data associated with the business application. For example, business applications implemented as an on-premise solution, such as a supplier lifecycle management (SLC), may require on-demand solution data. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for integrating software solutions.